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The subject of “tithing” is a very important one, and easily misinterpreted. There are many preachers (in churches and on television) who will tell you that you need to “give to get.” They say that the only way God will bless you is if you give to Him. Even more, they say that the reason you should give is to get God’s financial blessing.
This has no basis in Scripture. In fact, tithing is more of an Old Testament concept (under the law) than a New Testament concept (under grace). The principle that should guide our giving is a willingness to give. The Bible says that God loves a “cheerful” giver, not one who feels obligated, or who is simply giving to get something material in return.
At the same time, if this is something that’s bothering you, you can always give something. God would never want you to go further into debt in order to give, but perhaps there is something you can do. Jesus commended the widow who gave a very small amount above those who gave out of their wealth. Here’s the story from Mark 12:41-44:
Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”
This has to be between you and the Lord. Pray and ask for wisdom. Don’t be foolish, but on the other hand, listen to your heart. The Holy Spirit may be prompting you.
Comments
Actually, Jesus does say to the Pharisees that they should continue in their tithe without neglecting more important matters - seemingly reinforcing the concept of the tithe.
Matthew 23:23 - "What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things." (NLT)
That's an interesting perspective. Tithing was required of the Children of Israel. The Pharisees were Jews (meaning their religion; they were not Christians). So I would understand Jesus telling these Pharisees that they should tithe because it is commanded of them.
But we are not Jews, we are Christians. Tithing isn't a bad idea, but I don't think it is a hard and fast rule for us.
Also, I think we get in trouble when we think in terms of proportional giving. Think for a moment about everything God has given you / us. Christ died on the cross to win salvation for us. He gave us something we could not get for ourselves. How do you pay that back? On balance, you can't. You will always be in God's debt.
And yet grace, mercy, faith and peace are free gifts to us from God our Father. He did not give us these things in exchange for anything, He gave them to us freely.
So as Christians, we live our lives in response to what He has done for us, for saving us from sin, death, and the Devil. We live lives of gratitude to Him in all that we do. We respond to God's love. It's not a matter of proportion, it's a matter of gratitude to Him.
So how do you measure that?
And some people might even say that 10% of your money is low-balling God. Why not 15, 25, 50 percent, or even 100%? We can never give enough.
I think it's best to not look for a quantifiable number or percentage. If you would like to challenge yourself to meet a certain figure, then by all means go for it! You are free to do so! The only caution I would make is that we should not abuse this freedom that we have in Christ - when I don't say "you don't have to tithe" I'm not saying that you shouldn't give anything. You should still give, but again, give with a thankful heart. Give because you are grateful for what He has done for you.
Don't burden yourself with a rule, but do concern yourself with the blessings which you have in God through Christ! :-)